Shrinking Forces:legion Down To 3

John Keefe is finding himself in an unusual situation as administrator of Broward County`s 9th District American Legion baseball program.

For six years Keefe has been involved with Broward`s American Legion program, for boys 16-18 years old. The league has not had the same number of teams two years in row since he joined.

This year is no different.

There were four teams in 1983, five in 1984 and four again in 1985. This year it appears only three are going to be present when the league season opens with an annual tournament May 7 at Pompano Beach`s Municipal Stadium.

``We don`t want a million teams in the county, but it would be nice to have more than just three,`` said Keefe, who also manages the Pompano Beach Post 142 team.

Joining Pompano Beach this year are Margate Post 157 and Miramar Post 253.

Hollywood Hills Post 92 will not field a team this year.

``The reason usually given for a team not playing is the lack of coaching,`` Keefe said. ``Coaching this age group is a lot different than coaching Little League because it takes up so much of your time. A lot of men don`t want to get involved because of that. You`re not playing a 10 or 15 games. You`re playing a lot more.``

Between practices, traveling and his administrative work, Keefe said he averages between 60 and 70 hours a week with baseball. A non-administrative manager would spend at least 35 to 40.

Keefe enjoys it, but from May until August there isn`t much time for anything else.

Besides baseball, he also is co-owner of the Keefe, McCullough and Company CPA accounting firm in Pompano Beach.

``It gets hectic, but to me it`s worth it,`` Keefe said.

Last year, Pompano Beach was 48-14 overall, won the Broward regular season, the 9th District post-season tournament, the Southeast Area championship and advanced to the state tournament, where it placed second to Madeira Beach. It was the farthest any Broward American Legion team has ever gone in state tournament play.

Pompano Beach defeated Maderia Beach 6-0 the preceding day before falling 3-1 in the championship game.

Margate (12-13) and Hollywood Hills (17-16) tied for second in the Broward regular season. Miramar was fourth (5-20).

``It was nice having four teams,`` Keefe said. ``But we enjoyed playing teams from all over. We liked going to state and we want to do it again.``

So would Miramar and Margate, but only the district champion advances.

Two years ago there were teams from Coral Springs and Cooper City. The year before, Broward (Plantation) Post 180 folded.

``Coral Springs had problems obtaining a field,`` Keefe said. ``And Cooper City and Post 180 didn`t have coaching. Post 180 wanted to get back into it again this year, but the people there still have the same problem.

``Don`t get me wrong, we don`t want a large league here in Broward. We could justify another three teams, though. We`re still going to play our 40 or 50 games this year, but we`ll do a lot of traveling to do it.``

Keefe, who until last year was the Margate manager, takes his team to Cape Coral, Fort Myers and other places in Dade and Palm Beach counties. Pompano Beach also participates in the annual Orlando Invitational tournament, which draws from all over Florida.

``Both Dade and Palm Beach have about seven or eight teams each,`` Keefe said. ``I`d like for us to have about six. We`ll have to settle for what we have.``

Each American Legion baseball team draws its players from designated schools, which must not have a combined enrollment of more than 5,000.

Although not yet definite, Miramar Post 253 will probably get its players from Miramar, Cooper City, (Hollywood) Chaminade and Hollywood Hills high schools, while Margate will probably get its from (Sunrise) Piper, Coral Springs, (Coral Springs) Taravella and Coconut Creek high schools.

Miramar will be coached by Carl Andrietta. Scott Sundermeier will manage Post 157.

Pompano Beach will probably get its players from St. Thomas Aquinas, Cardinal Gibbons, Northeast and Nova.

An ideal situation, Keefe said, would be to have teams in Coral Springs, and the areas of Hallandale/Dania and Plantation/Sunrise. That would put a team in the northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast, west and east areas of the county.

Separate from American Legion is the Big League program for players of the same age. Broward`s District 10 Big League program has 10 National and 10 American division teams with the commissioner and administrator being Jim Urbanczyk.

``As far as post-season play is concerned, the biggest difference between the American Legion and Big League is that American Legion advances teams and Big League has an all-star team that advances,`` Keefe said.

While Pompano Beach was placing second in the American Legion state tournament last year, the Broward entry won the Big League World Series against competition from China, Europe, Canada and South American.

This year the three American Legion teams will open the season May 10, have a June 25 All-Star game and hold the postseason tournament July 16. The league winner will advance to the three-game Southeast Area series against the Palm Beach winner. The winner there will be one of eight teams to advance to the state tournament at University of Florida on Aug. 6-10.

All American Legion tournament play is double-elimination.

``The kids are still playing high school ball now, so it will be a while before we get started,`` Keefe said. ``But the kids aren`t the only ones looking forward to playing this summer.``